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In early evening on a bluebird September day, deep in northern Yosemite National Park, my friend Todd Arndt and I—with legs a little weary—reached our fourth pass on a 23-mile day, the second day of a four-day, 87-mile hike. Only a quad-melting, 1,500-foot descent stood between us and soothing our feet in the cool sand and cold water at Benson Lake (possibly the most unbelievable mountain lake I’ve ever seen).

We hiked past quiet tarns where a few backpackers were camped. And it struck me that they were the first people Todd and I had seen all day. That’s not an observation one expects to make in Yosemite. But we were exploring the “other Yosemite”—not the overcrowded park, but its most remote backcountry, on one of the best multi-day hikes I’ve ever taken.

There’s a back story here. After several visits to Yosemite, backpacking, dayhiking, and climbing, I had become kind of obsessed with the fact that I had still not explored the park’s two most expansive swaths of wilderness: the Clark Range and Merced River headwaters south of Tuolumne Meadows, and even vaster northern Yosemite.

So I set out to finally fill in that glaring omission in my backpacking résumé, concocting an ambitious plan to make a 152-mile grand tour of Yosemite’s most remote backcountry in one week, divided into two legs, resupplying between them.

Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, Yosemite.

First came a three-day, 65-mile loop south of Tuolumne Meadows, including two of Yosemite’s most thrilling summits, Clouds Rest and Half Dome, plus walking through the Clark Range and tagging the highest pass reached by trail in the park, 11,500-foot Red Peak Pass.

That was to be immediately followed by a four-day, nearly 87-mile walk through the biggest and most remote chunk of wilderness on the Yosemite map: a circuit north of Tuolumne Meadows through a vast realm of deep canyons like the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River—which is sort of like Yosemite Valley, but twice as long, with most of the people and all of the buildings and cars removed. We crossed passes at over 10,000 feet below peaks rising to over 12,000 feet, and stood atop a peak often described as having the best summit view in Yosemite.

Smoke from wildfires sent three friends and I home after completing the 65-mile hike. So Todd and I returned to Yosemite a year later and knocked off the 87-miler.

Scroll through the photo gallery below and you’ll see why that 152-mile grand tour of Yosemite’s most remote areas ranks among “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips.” Below the gallery, find links to my feature stories about both of these backpacking trips and links to my exclusive e-guides that will help you plan and successfully pull off either trip.

And bear in mind that Yosemite accepts backcountry permit applications 24 weeks (168 days) in advance of the date you want to start backpacking. That means that for starting on a date in mid-July, you should submit your application in late January. See the links below for more about permits.

Want to take either of these amazing trips? My exclusive e-guides tell you everything you need to know to plan and successfully pull off either trip. I’ve created e-guides to the 65-mile hike south of Tuolumne and the 87-mile hike north of Tuolumne; see both links below.

Click here now for my “The Best of Yosemite E-Guide, Part 1: Backpacking South of Tuolumne Meadows.”

Click here now for my “The Best of Yosemite E-Guide, Part 2: Backpacking South of Tuolumne Meadows.”

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks, Craig. Honestly, both trips certainly have lots to recommend them. I suggest you decide based on how long and difficult a trip you want to take; the North Yosemite hike is longer and, I think, more difficult. If choosing between them based on character and specific highlights, the hike south of Tuolumne does hit Clouds Rest and Half Dome, which are spectacular and also, in the case of Half Dome, much busier; while North Yosemite is more remote.

I’d also suggest that, given the challenge of just getting a backcountry permit in Yosemite, if you’re interested in both, submit a permit reservation application that lists both as separate alternatives, in hopes of getting one of them.